Homemade Gnocchi w/ Creamy Tomato Red Pepper Sauce

To make the gnocchi, preheat your oven to 200˚C. Using a fork, poke your potatoes 3-4 times, and place them on a lined baking sheet. Transfer to your pre-heated oven and bake until a knife can easily be inserted through the middle (about 1 hour).

Once soft, remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Split the potatoes in half and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. If you have a potato ricer, pass your potatoes through that. If not, mash the potatoes as thoroughly as possible using a fork.

Transfer the potatoes onto a clean surface and top with 1 cup flour. Using your hands, incorporate the flour into your potato mix. Add your second cup of flour and salt, and repeat. Form the dough into a disk, dust with flour and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Cut the disk into 4 parts. Take the first part and roll it out until it's about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the roll into 1/2-1 inch pieces (depending on how big you want your gnocchi to be). Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add salt, and once the water is boiling, add your gnocchi in 3 batches (to avoid overcrowding them). Cook for 2-3 minutes or until they float to the top. Reserve a few tbsp of cooking water to loosen the sauce up later on.

To make the sauce, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the garlic and shallots over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until starting to take on colour. Add the roasted red peppers and half the salt (½ tsp) and continue sautéing for another 3-4 minutes, until the oil starts turning slightly orange (from the pepper).

At this point add the tinned tomatoes and remaining salt. Simmer on medium-low heat for 25-30 minutes, until it has slightly reduced. Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender), blend for 30 seconds until smooth and creamy. 

Pour the sauce back into the saucepan and stir in the 2 tbsp of oat cream (or any other plant based cream). This step is optional, but delicious. Keep the sauce on a low simmer until the gnocchi are cooked.

Transfer the cooked gnocchi into the sauce and stir for a couple minutes, adding a tbsp or two of cooking water to the pot if the sauced gnocchi feels stiff. It should be glossy and smooth, not thick. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and plant based parmesan.